Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ

Health sciences major and psychology minor Maisha Chowdhury describes choosing to attend UAA as the best decision of her life (so far) and for making her the person she is today. The fall 2025 undergraduate commencement speaker hopes her own journey inspires others to take risks and follow their passion.

The first in her family to attend college in the U.S., Chowdhury spent much of her life wanting to become a doctor. As she started taking classes and exploring her interests at UAA, however, she found herself becoming more interested in business. Although she found the path she wanted to follow, she hesitated to take it at first — worried about disappointing her parents.

"'Is being a doctor what I want to do with my life? Am I doing it for myself, or am I doing it to make my family happy?' I had to differentiate between those two things," Chowdhury said. Once she resolved to pursue a career in business, she found her parents incredibly supportive of her new path.

"Connecting with people — I think that's what I love most about business," Chowdhury said. As an intern with First National Bank Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ, Chowdhury has been connecting with people to help them find their dream home. With no prior experience, she started the internship by learning "everything there is to know about mortgage" and, last month, was the top loan originator, with $1.1 million in closed loans.

As one of the co-founding members, former secretary and three-year president of the Muslim Student Association (MSA), Chowdhury's love of connecting also helped build a community on campus. Since the club's first meeting with just four people, the MSA has grown to host large events (such as Henna Night, Eid al-Fitr and an interfaith dinner) and even earned Best Club and Most Impactful Club awards from Student Affairs. The progress is especially poignant for Chowdhury, who grew into a leader through the experience. She entered the role of club president with nerves and hesitation, but ultimately found the experience to be motivating and encouraging. She hopes to inspire others to "take a risk, because you don't know what it will get you, where it will get you."

"Don't be afraid to be thrown into a position that you thought you couldn't do, because you could do so much with it. Believe in yourself and show up — because that's the most important part," she said.

For post-graduation plans, Chowdhury made the best decision of her life again. Starting this spring, she'll pursue her M.B.A. from UAA's College of Business and Public Policy while working at First National Bank Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ as a mortgage loan originator. Her long-term goals include rising to the top of the wealth management field as an investment banker or financial advisor and starting a family with the love of her life.